by Martha Carr
“I’m going to drop Rose off and I’ll meet you fellas down on 6th Street.”
“No need, dear. I’ll take the car. You can ride with them.” Rose gave him a patient smile and picked up the empty pie plate. “You go to work. I’ll see you at home.” She kissed him on the cheek as Estelle rushed out of the restaurant with a bag of leftovers for her. “Thank you, Estelle! I’ll make sure Felix parses this out over a few days.”
“Instead of a few hours…” whispered Leira.
“I heard that.” Hagan pressed his lips together.
“I meant for you to.”
“See those two already have their heads together. I’ve seen that before. Start of another adventure. I’ll see myself out the side gate. Get to it, dear!”
“Yes honey.” Hagan waved to Rose as Estelle gave a satisfied nod, blowing out smoke that encircled her head momentarily in a grey cloud. She marched back into the bar and headed for the kitchen, throwing a bar towel over her shoulder.
“Okay, spill it. You guys have been more than your usual amount of weird all day. I appreciate that you did your best to hide it but the party’s over. What’s happened?” Leira crossed her arms over her chest and cocked her hip, waiting.
“Where to begin…” Turner tapped his cane on the ground. Leira knew by now that meant he was buying time trying to figure out how to ease into something. This is bad.
“Okay, Hagan, you start. What do you know? I checked my phone. There’s no messages from the general.”
“Something slimy creeped its way out of the world in between from our favorite room at the Driskill Hotel and allegedly pulled off a werewolf kind of transformation.”
“A fucking shifter from the world in between,” Leira said in a hush. “No…”
“Thank you, Hagan. That’s the best segue I’ve ever been given. Leads nicely to my piece of this story.” Turner placed a heavy hand on Correk’s tall shoulder, holding him firmly. “That beast was once known as Lucius about eight hundred years ago.”
Correk’s entire body shook as he did his best to absorb the information. “No… not possible.” He flexed the muscles in his legs, determined to stay standing.
“Lucius fought bravely in the wars against Rhazdon and was believed dead even though we never found a body. There were some who believed Rhazdon did something to him but none of us ever imagined the bitch went this far.”
“What do you mean, this far? What does all this mean?” Leira played with the bracelet on her wrist.
“She threw a spell on him just before she tore an opening in the veil and threw him in. Rhazdon knows how to make shifters without all the need for experimentation.”
Correk balled his hands into fists, breathing hard. “Lucius was protecting the old king. Rhazdon must have thrown both of them into the world in between.”
“I think the king falling into the void was a happy accident for Rhazdon. It was Lucius she was cursing to hell and back. The back from hell part has finally shown up and he’s out there on the loose.”
“Searching for Rhazdon. That’s a wide swath of destruction to try and dig her out of whatever hole she climbed into. It could be anywhere on two different worlds.” Leira looked toward the guest house where the troll was ensconced. “Things are getting more complicated.”
“Lucius isn’t himself and we don’t know what the curse and the hundreds of years in that isolation void of slime has done to his mind.” Turner tapped his cane hard against the ground. “His lust for revenge of some kind makes him unstable.”
“Not to mention the whole fur and fang thing. Okay, we are forewarned.” Leira held up her hand before Correk or Hagan could say it. “And I’ll keep the troll close. I’m not going to pretend I can handle all of this. Things have taken a turn for the hairy weird.”
“And around here that’s saying something.” Turner let out a weary laugh. “Alright, time to get moving. Correk, I have an assignment for you, if you can break away. Nothing important you were doing?”
Correk made a point of not looking up at Leira who was giving him a crooked smile. “I’m all yours. Ready to be of service.”
“Go get ‘em!” Leira patted him hard on the back as Hagan narrowed his eyes, watching the two of them.
“Uh huh,” he muttered. “I see…”
Chapter Ten
“Did you get some kind of signal?” Correk was looking around for signs of trouble standing out on Rainey Street but things were quiet. Tourists walked up and down, mixing with the college students who were always near the food trucks or going in and out of the bars.
Turner Underwood smiled wearily and cocked his head to the side. “I am actually not sure what to do next. It’s been years since that has happened to me and not a good look on a Fixer.” He placed his hand on Correk’s shoulder, one hand still on his cane.
Correk looked at the hand, skeptical. “The last time you did that you told me Lucius is a cursed beast back from the ancient past. Is this your tell?”
“Do you trust me?”
“With my life.”
“Good answer. Spoken like a worthy Light Elf and new Fixer.”
“You’re not taking down your hand.”
The Fixer thought about it and slowly removed his hand. “This one is going to have to be a show and tell deal. Come on, there’s a mission at hand but first we need to make a stop at my house.”
Turner Underwood drove his late model Bentley up the curved driveway with Correk sitting in the passenger seat. He had owned the sleek black Mark IV since it was brand new in 1946 and they had both aged well together. He dreaded what he was about to do as much as he was filled with joy for both of them. Things were changing rapidly and the old rules were breaking down. The return of the old King was a welcome reprieve but the veil that kept in the world in between was breaking down.
Who knows what else is lurking in there?
“You haven’t said a word the entire drive.” Correk glanced over at Turner as he opened the door and stepped out of the car.
“Words fail for some things. Come with me.”
The old Fixer waved his hand as he approached the large wooden front door, pincurls of light shooting out and unlocking the door, swinging it wide. He moved quickly through the house to the far wing, not looking back at Correk as he went. He got to the sitting room where he usually put guests and gave a soft tap as he opened the door.
The old King of Oriceran sat in an upholstered blue linen chair by the window looking out over the lake. “It’s the simple things you miss the most. You wouldn’t think it would be sitting in a chair quietly watching a heron land on a lake but it’s the sweetest thing I’ve seen in far too many years.”
Correk let out an audible gasp and crossed the room swiftly, kneeling on one knee in front of the old King.
“Your Majesty… How? After the battle I thought you were wounded.”
The king looked up, a cold look in his eyes. “Wounded takes on different meanings in the world in between. There’s time to heal most things or for things to fester.” He got up out of the chair as Correk stood and he hugged him tightly, slapping his back. “I knew your father. Good Light Elf. You look just like him!” He stood back and saw the pain in Correk’s face. “Your father may turn up yet. I’m sorry… no, I didn’t see him in there. Doesn’t mean he’s not but after a hundred years I saw no sign. You were fairly young when he disappeared. Turner has been catching me up. Apparently, there’s no time to let things unfold.”
“Too many beasts running loose of every ilk,” said Turner, as he swept his arm around the room, setting loose more pinwheels of light. “You can never be too careful. A little added protection these days will go a long way. Have you finished the third tome of spells?”
“I’m onto the fifth book… making progress.” Correk kept studying the king’s face.
“Good… then you are ready for your first solo mission. I need you to head out to San Francisco to rescue a teenager. Correk, are you paying attention?”
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“I’m real, not a spell. Tell me how you are doing. You must be well over a hundred years now. Have you taken a wife yet?”
Turner let out a cough, changing the subject. “We will table that discussion for another day. Correk you are needed elsewhere.” The old Fixer pulled the light between his hands, forming a ball and singing into it, stretching it out to make a portal. “San Francisco awaits you. Everything you need is on this paper,” he said, handing him a folded note. “We like to keep things simple. Get to the youngest son of the family at this address. He’s a clever young Wizard who’s been playing with dark magic and playing a local gang off against some rival Wizards. No one is happy with him, including the Silver Griffins. Take him to the second address. A school is starting there on an old piece of property I own outside of Charlottesville, Virginia. I made a deal with your General Anderson.” Turner shook his head. “Go… part of being the Fixer is thinking on your feet. You’ll figure out the rest.”
Correk nodded to the old king. “We will talk more when I return.”
“I look forward to it.” The king smiled at Correk, even as he gripped the sides of the chair.
Correk stepped through the portal, looking back as it closed behind him. The king looked at Turner. “Someone will need to tell my son that I have returned.”
“Not yet. Not till we find Lucius.”
“And figure out what to do with him.”
“Indeed…” Turner felt the weight of a thousand years and settled heavily into a chair, drawing himself up, his cane settled against a wall. He held up his hand. “Patience. Let me work in peace.” The old spell came easily to his lips as he ran through it quickly, pronouncing every syllable in rapid succession, He shut his eyes as the acrid smell of sulphur filled his nostrils, burning the inside of his nose. “Lucius still remembers some of his past. He’s cloaking himself well… but not perfectly.” Turner opened his eyes and got to his feet. “I’m off. You have the run of the house.”
“Not so fast. I’m coming with you. Lucius is my friend. He gave his life to protect me so I’m partially responsible for what he’s become. This isn’t a discussion.”
“Doesn’t take long to get back into the monarch groove, does it?” He gave the king a wry smile. “If you’re coming, get your ass up and move it, your majesty.” He gave a slight nod in deference.
The king easily rose to his feet. “Times really have changed.”
“Yes, you are still a strapping, powerful Light Elf and I’m a cantankerous powerful old Light Elf. That makes me the more dangerous of the two of us.”
“Time doesn’t move in the void. A curse for the most part. Let’s get on with it. Lucius was a powerful warrior in his day and he’s had hundreds of years to plot his revenge.”
Chapter Eleven
Leira opened the door to the guest house and found the troll sleeping in the potted fern near the couch, his belly full. “Hate to wake you, little dude but we have business to get to.” She nudged him, watching him uncurl, stretching out his tiny legs and letting out a wide yawn. He opened his eyes and looked up at Leira, letting out a cackle followed quickly by a gassy burp. Leira stood up straight, batting at the air in front of her. “Oh gawd, fuck, what is that? What did you eat while I was gone? Part of the sofa?”
The troll let out another cackle and stood up in the dirt, rubbing his back against the smooth green leaves. “What you want? We have a mission?”
“Don’t know if I’d say we’re going on a mission. Little dramatic Elwood. More like a look and see for shifters.”
The troll bounded out of the plant and hopped to the couch, his claws digging in as he pulled himself up to the top. “Ooooh, that’s some bad shit.” He tied his cape around his shoulders and pulled on the mask.
“Is that really necessary? Do you need to hide your identity?”
“Meh, it’s a look. Where we headed?”
“That’s the tricky part. Hop on while I see if I can use myself like a magical GPS and get a better idea of location.” Leira held out her hand as the troll climbed into her palm and she lifted him to her shoulder. She shut her eyes and pulled in energy through her feet, feeling it surge through her as she set out an intention. Find the shifter. Show me his location.
The stream of magic doubled over on itself, knocking Leira forward as she let out a soft grunt and Yumfuck held on to her jacket, his fur bristling from the energy passing under his feet.
Leira felt a burning sensation in the scar on her belly as the energy lifted her onto her toes. The stronger the intention, the more powerful the surge of magic. Turner Underwood’s words echoed in her head.
“Find the shifter,” she whispered. She felt the magic pull her out onto the light stream as images flashed on either side of her. She breathed in suddenly… a sweet aroma… grapes. No, wait, this is different.
She passed over acres of grapes growing on wooden trellises to a large white stucco house with a clay tile roof in the distance. The closer they got, the more Leira could feel the presence of dark energy moving around the house. The energy slipped in easily and she found herself rolling along a long, cool hallway lined with empty oak wooden barrels on either side. Don’t argue with the energy. It knows what it’s doing. More of Turner’s wisdom, keeping Leira from short-circuiting her request. This is not where he was being held.
The energy hesitated, feeling her distrust as she made herself take a deep breath and let it out.
“Relax!” shouted the troll into her ear. She heard it like a squeaky echo through the thick ribbons of magic surrounding her.
Leira felt the magic slowing as it curled up to a thick metal door, easily passing through like vapor. On the other side of the door was an old storage room, dank and dark with a high ceiling.
Leira could hear grunting and something scraping along the cement floor. She drew back in the living room of the guest house, a shudder passing through her. There must be close to a hundred, screamed inside her head in anger. They were packed in like cattle, some clawing each other in frustration or boredom, shifting in and out of human and beast. The energy rolled around the room, hugging the wall till it got to a back corner and stopped, hovering near the ceiling.
Standing with his back against the wall was the man Leira had seen before. She took in every detail of his description, memorizing his face. She felt a shift in the energy as he jerked his face up and looked directly at her. That’s fucking impossible!
Leira saw the anger in his eyes, an absence of fear, unlike the others who were an even mixture of both. Who are you?
“Find the location!” Yumfuck was yelling in her ear again. “Keep your eye on the ball,” he squeaked. “Tell the motherfucking energy what you want!”
Show me the location.
The energy pulled out of the room as Leira kept looking back at the man standing naked in the large room till she couldn’t see him anymore over the sea of bodies. Leira felt the energy pass through the wall and found herself back outside, moving around a large estate. Show me where I am. Her frustration grew as the magic went in circles, creating whirls of light.
“Focus!” chirped the troll as he pinched the skin along her neck.
Leira instinctively raised a hand to slap at the bite but Yumfuck jumped out of the way, cackling. “Son of a bitch! Like being bit by a greenheaded mosquito!”
Okay, focus. The energy knows what it’s doing. What are we circling? In and out and around the magic went, as Leira saw the name. Icardi. It was on everything. Stamped on barrels, hanging on a sign above the door of the building, on labels of bottles of wine. The Icardi vineyards, established 1989, Napa, California. It’s a staging ground. Got it.
Leira felt the rush of energy pull through her, running like a river. It was familiar but still uncomfortable as the magic drained quickly out of her, snapping her back into her body. Her mouth popped open, sucking in air as she opened her eyes. The troll was leaning out from her shoulder staring at her, inches from her face. “Ready to go?”
“What the fuck? That’s disturbing. Personal space, Yumfuck. Yeah, ready to go. Need one more thing before we go. I don’t think this one is gonna be pretty and I’m keeping my word. No running into the burning buildings by myself anymore.”
Chapter Twelve
Leira stood on the edge of the vineyards near the road. Yumfuck stood on her shoulder wearing his cape and mask. “You know that cape and mask won’t work when you grow into battle size.”
“Works for now. I’ll keep it on a little longer. Trouble ahead.” The troll glanced backward. “Little trouble back there too.”
Behind them an open portal crackled and sparked.
Leira rolled her eyes and picked up a pebble from the ground throwing it into the portal. “Hurry your ass up before it closes. I thought you used these things all the time.”
“That’s how you tear a hole in the veil.” Louie poked his head out of the opening and stepped out, stamping his feet on the dirt path as the portal finally closed. The sword was strapped to his back. “Used portals all the time in my previous profession.” He brushed off his suede pants and looked around at the vines and up at the open sky.
“Stealing.” Leira recognized the way the vines were laid out and could see the tops of buildings in the distance.
“Acquiring. Not a bad place for a hunt.”
“Not sure if we’re here for a hunt or a rescue, or both.”
“Oh, this is a hunt, trust me. Only question of the day will be if we’re the ones being hunted, and that answer may vary hour to hour. The dark Wizarding families don’t play well with others and have only one rule. Beat the shit out of their opponents. That would be us today.”
Leira flexed her hands and circled her arms. “Wouldn’t mind doing a little shit kicking myself today. Been awhile.”
“You have a plan about how we go in there?” Louie pulled the sword out of its sheath on his back and held it up in front, limbering up for the fight. “Or do we wander through the grapevines and start the party early.”